


It’s Nice to Have A Friend

by StarsBeam23



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Friendship, M/M, Male-Female Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:35:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25738159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarsBeam23/pseuds/StarsBeam23
Summary: “Have you ever been in love, Rey?”It starts as an innocent question from her best friend. A Post-TROS canon-compliant exploration of what would happen if Rey opened up to Finn about her dyad connection.(A Reylo & FinnPoe story. HEA implied.)
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Poe Dameron & Finn, Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 12
Kudos: 63





	It’s Nice to Have A Friend

**It’s Nice to Have A Friend**

* * *

“Have you ever been in love, Rey?”

Rey blinked in surprise and sat upward. Finn turned his body towards her, still reclined on the roof of the Millennium Falcon, where they had been laying together and watching the sunset. His eyes were earnestly trying to scan her face for an answer.

It had been 3 weeks since she had returned from Exegol and despite the celebrations all across the base, Rey had seemed withdrawn and quiet. But it was more than that, in Finn’s opinion...she almost seemed lonely. Rey was always surrounded by people, of course, and was heralded as the hero of the Resistance. But where old Rey would have chuckled and teased away the praise, this Rey would nod politely and not say a word. Rose says she even saw her tear up a bit once, and Rey _hated_ crying in front of other people.

Hell, the first time he saw Rey genuinely smile over these past two weeks was when he told her about what had happened between him and Poe the day they returned to Ajan Kloss. That adrenaline-fueled kiss in a darkened hallway had been seared into his mind ever since.

Finn continued, “This is all so new for me. I’ve had feelings for people before but just, never like this.”

“I can relate, a bit.”, came Rey’s eventual reply.

“So, you _have_ been in love?”

Rey wrinkled her nose.

“I’m not sure what I’d call it.”

She paused, but the floodgates had been opened. She began quickly rambling.

“I just have had these feelings lately that have been so strong that I don’t know what to call them. I don’t really understand them, but they take up so much of me. I think about it all the time. I don’t know how to stop.”

“But the feelings...they’re about a person, obviously.” Finn pried carefully, as Rey nodded.

He knew Rey was incredibly private, but couldn’t help but be thrilled to see her opening up a little.

“Who’s the lucky guy?”

Rey flinched a little at that.

“Or lady! I don’t judge, obviously. But if you say it’s me, I have to warn you I’m taken for the time being.”

That got a real smile from Rey, as she playfully swatted Finn’s arm.

“I could never come between you and Poe! I’d never want to. It’s not—it’s not either of you, if you’re actually worried about that.”

“Well, Poe might be a bit disappointed given his track record of getting women to fall for him, but I think he’ll recover.”

Seeing Rey’s brief change in demeanor for the better, Finn continued to press on.

“Okay, so...it’s not me or Poe. But you mentioned it’s recent, so I’m guessing it’s no one you met on Jakku back in the day.”

“Did I say it was recent?”

“You implied it, yeah.”

A brief glimpse of disappointment flashed across her face, at this. Rey really did not have a good poker face. Finn sighed.

“Look, if you really don’t want to talk about it, we don’t have to, Rey. But something’s been off with you lately, and I haven’t known how to bring it up. And I wasn’t sure if my relationship with Poe was maybe rubbing you the wrong way since it’s so new, or if something happened on that godforsaken planet that you just don’t want to tell me about. But you’re my best friend. And I want to share everything with you, the good and the bad. Do you get that I just want us to be there for each other?”

Rey’s face softened. Of course she wanted to be able to open up to her best friend. But could she really trust him? She tenderly reached for Finn’s hand—her way of letting him know that it might be okay that he was here for her. To take some baby steps towards letting him see the emotions she’s been carrying around inside her. 

“So, the guy. I’m assuming it’s a guy since you haven’t said otherwise.” Finn toyed with Rey’s fingers between his own. A calming gesture. She gave his hand a squeeze and then slipped her fingers out of his grasp.

“You’re really not going to let this go, are you?”

“Nope. Please, Rey, I’ve been dying to know what your type is since I grabbed your arm that day on Jakku.”

“Ok, fine. It’s a guy. But he’s not really around anymore, and I just feel...empty. Whenever I think about him, it feels like I’m simultaneously the happiest and saddest person alive. But even when we spent time together, I felt conflicted. Like, I was wanting things I shouldn’t want. I’m not good at talking about stuff like this.”

She rubs her neck self-consciously but continues.

“It’s just, objectively, I didn’t get to spend that much time with him, but something inside me felt like I had known him my whole life. I could feel what he was feeling. We had this connection that felt like the universe could bring us together even if everything around us was falling apart. I used to feel like I had been carrying a little piece of him with me wherever I went, and now that he’s gone that part just aches. I’ve never felt like that before.”

That’s a lot for Finn to process. He’s not sure he can relate his feelings for Poe to Rey’s esoteric description of her conflicted feelings for her lover. It’s odd to hear Rey talk like this—she’s always been the most down-to-earth of the bunch, even with all her Jedi training. He decides to start small.

“So, you said he’s not around anymore. Did he—is he—?” He doesn’t quite know how to finish that sentence. Finn doesn’t want to upset Rey, but it seems like he might have at least figured out what caused Rey’s drastic shift in mood recently.

“I don’t know if he’s dead.” Rey replied flatly. “He might be. I guess he should be. But I just—I feel like he’s not fully gone.”

“Is this a Force thing?”

“You could say that. Or maybe it’s just me being in denial. I don’t know. But it doesn’t change the fact that he’s not here.”

“Do I know him?” Finn blurted suddenly. The question had been on the tip of his tongue since the beginning of the conversation.

At this, Rey’s face goes red. Oh, Finn _definitely_ knows him. “Finn, I—I don’t know if I’m ready to tell you. I’ve never told anyone except him, but I think he already knew. Or at least, suspected.”

“But I’ve met him.”

“Yeah, you’ve met. I don’t particularly get the sense that you would approve, though.” That last part was spoken almost under her breath, as if this was some kind of inside joke Rey had with herself. Finn continued as though he was meant to hear it anyway.

“Oh, come on, Rey. You know sometimes I think some of the Resistance pilots could be a bit cocky, but you know I’d support you no matter what. I mean—“

“He’s not Resistance.” The words came out of Rey’s mouth before her brain was able to corral the thought back.

Finn stared at her blankly. Her words hung in the air, and a chill crept through his body that had nothing to do with the cool evening air.

“Okay.”

“I told you, I don’t know if I can have this conversation.”

Finn sighs, trying to temper his next sentence. He doesn’t want Rey to feel the judgement and confusion that’s now crowding his brain.

“So, I must know him from the First Order, then.”

“I told you, I—“

“Rey. I am going to try my hardest to keep an open mind here, but you can’t just drop a bombshell like this and expect me to not have any follow up questions.”

Rey fiddled with a thread on her tunic. Anything to avoid eye contact. Inside, she was a wreck. How could she have slipped so far? She knew Finn was inches away from finding out her most shameful secret. She longed for him to be able to know—to finally have someone in the universe made aware of Ben Solo’s tragic sacrifice, and their dyad bond. But how could she explain that the man who the entire galaxy knew as a villain was quite possibly her soulmate? That the darkness inside her had wanted him from the second their minds became bridged together. That seeing him return to the light was her deepest desire, and that the second it came true he was ripped from her arms and it felt like a part of her had been extinguished.

“Finn, I don’t want you to hate me.”

“Rey, I could never hate you. But...please. Look at me.” Rey’s eyes met Finn’s. Despite her valiant efforts, a single tear leaked from her eye, as she stared into his own. “At least tell me his name.”

Finn had never seen Rey so vulnerable before.

“Ben.” She breathed. The name languished on her tongue, and she said it with the solemnity of a prayer.

But Finn couldn’t help the quizzical reaction that crumpled his face in confusion. He didn’t know a Ben in the First Order. Most of his fellow stormtroopers didn’t have names like that. This man had to be an officer, or a commander, or...oh no. Oh, kriff. Rey would NEVER.

Sensing the recognition in his eyes, Rey made another desperate plea. “I told you that you wouldn’t approve and I know it doesn’t make any sense to you, but Ben and I—“

“Rey, I’m gonna stop you right there and make sure that we are 100 percent on the same page here. When you say ‘Ben’, there’s another name I think I know him by that’s a bit more recognizable. And—“

“Finn, I KNOW it may not make sense, but—“

“Kylo Ren.” A pause. “Rey. KYLO REN. You’re telling me that this whole time, you’ve had a thing for KYLO REN?!”

“Not this whole time.”

Finn was reeling. Rey didn’t even deny it. He’s absolutely dumbfounded. It’s hard to parse the shock from the anger, fear, and overwhelming confusion. He certainly didn’t see that coming.

“How long?”

Rey didn’t know how to answer that question. Their only kiss, a short few weeks ago had been playing in her mind on a loop whenever she got the chance to let it wander. She thought of it often, trying to memorize the movement of his lips, the feel of his arms cradling her, and the placement of his dimpled cheek as he flashed her a crooked smile. But how long had Ben Solo made her feel this way? In hindsight, she must have felt stirrings of something when his hand touched hers though the Force, or when her whole face heated red seeing him without his usual armor. Perhaps it was as early as seeing him without his helmet for the first time. Their bond had blurred all these moments together in her memory, re-knitting them with a pulsing desire she could not erase.

“You do know he’s killed people, Rey.”

At that, her eyes filled with frustration. She snapped, “So have I. So have you!”

“Yeah, but not—“

“He saved my life, Finn.”

“When? Because the last time I saw the two of you together, it looked like you were trying to kill each other.”

“He’s never tried to kill me. Not really. But that fight you saw—I did end up stabbing him.”

She winces at the memory.

“It was a mistake. As soon as I did it, I could feel Leia calling out through the Force. Telling me not to give up hope for her son. I healed him right after, stole his TIE fighter, and ran away. I kind of told you about that part already—how I went to Ach-To and talked to Luke. What I didn’t tell you...”

She takes a breath at this, weighing the secret carefully one last time.

“Well, there’s a lot a haven’t told you, actually. But I’ll start here. What I didn’t tell you before is that Ben and I are a dyad in the Force. It’s hard to explain, but we’re connected to each other. It feels like we’re two halves of the same thing. Almost since we met, he had been trying to get me to join him. To embrace the Dark side of the Force. And I’ve been doing the opposite. I wanted him so badly to come back here. To join me. And, Finn—“

Rey breathed out this next part as an excited whisper.

“Right when I needed him most, _he came back to me.”_

A realization dawned across Finn’s face. “You mean to say he—“

“He came back to the Light. I don’t know what happened after I left him on Kef Bir, but he made it to Exegol carrying only a blaster. He attacked the Knights of Ren, he helped me fight Palpatine, and...”

Another pause.

“I died defeating Palpatine. I never told you because I didn’t think you would believe me.”

“Rey, you’ve just admitted to being in love with Kylo Ren. Nothing can surprise me anymore.” Finn joked, trying to ease the tension.

For all the secrets Rey has revealed to him today, she deserves one of his own. “Actually, I have something I need to tell you, Rey. You telling me you died...it makes sense. I think I felt it.”

“You did? In the Force?” Rey becomes more animated at this. She desperately wants to change the subject—to hear everything about Finn’s newfound sensitivity.

“Yeah. In the Force. I promise, we’re going to talk about it. But for now, you died. Then what happened?”

She sighs again. “And then I woke up in his arms. Before Palpatine killed me, he had thrown Ben into a pit. He must have climbed out, found me, and used the last of his life force to bring me back. I got to be with him for a few moments—I can’t begin to describe the feeling I had. I’ve never felt so complete in my whole life, as when Ben held me. I wished I could live in that moment forever.”

“So, it seems like you really _have_ been in love, then.”

“I guess I have.” It’s the first time she’s admitted it to herself. It feels like a thrilling discovery. A moment of joy nestled between heartache that’s been surrounding her.

“Alright.”

It’s not the easiest thing Finn has ever done, but it’s the least he can say to make Rey feel as though he’s heard her. He can’t begin to understand the Force dyad and the fighting and the ruthless man he once knew as a commander. Not to mention the time Kylo Ren personally attacked his spine on that snow-covered forest floor. But Finn knows a few truths. He has never heard Rey talk this way about anyone before. His own feelings about Kylo or Ben or whoever, aside, he’s trusted Rey with his life. And if Rey had really died that day on Exegol, Finn wouldn’t know what he would do without her bright spirit in his life. He’d be desperate to see if there was some way he could save her, so at least he could relate a little to how she must be feeling.

Rey’s voice cut through the loaded silence, desperate to know what Finn is thinking.

“So what now?”

“Well, I guess now we figure out how to get him back.”

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I’m not new to fan fiction, but this is my AO3, Star Wars, and Reylo/FinnPoe debut! I’m debating making this a multi-chaptered fic, so let me know if there’s any interest. Very open to comments or constructive criticisms here.


End file.
